Orlando tries to get back on track against Rapids

Jun 24, 2015 - 12:05 AM
Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Orlando City SC is hoping to start a new
unbeaten streak on Wednesday at the Citrus Bowl against the Colorado Rapids.

The club saw its five-game unbeaten run halted over the weekend in a 2-0
defeat at the Montreal Impact, and head coach Adrian Heath will be expecting a
response from his side on Wednesday.

Heath felt as though his team was well below par in the loss to Montreal,
which saw Donny Toia score after 36 minutes for the Impact before a late goal
from Dominic Oduro sealed the result.

Orlando had a few good chances in the first 30 minutes, but the club looked
tired as the game wore on and they struggled to match Montreal's energy in the
second half.

"Too many people let us down. We know we have one or two hurting, one or two
injury problems, but, in general, I'm disappointed with our application,"
Heath said following the loss. "There were maybe three or four who could hold
their heads up tonight, but, for the rest, it wasn't good enough at all. We're
better than that."

It wasn't totally surprising to see a down performance from Orlando
considering the club was playing its third game in seven days, while defensive
leader Aurelien Collin went down a hamstring injury for the second time in
about a month.

But Orlando won't have a lot of time to pick itself up with a fourth game in
quick succession on Wednesday.

Heath must now find a replacement for Collin in defense, which will likely be
Seb Hines, while the boss must consider giving increased minutes to Pedro
Ribeiro up top after he came on as a substitute in the second half against
Montreal and sparked the attack to life.

The Rapids managed to claim a point from Friday's match with FC Dallas as
Dillon Serna scored in the 88th minute to cancel out Fabian Castillo's opener
in the 71st.

Colorado claimed its first point in three games despite another dour
performance in the offensive third, and head coach Pablo Mastroeni would like
to see his team make better use of corner kicks as a way to increase scoring.

"Scoring is the hardest thing to do in this league. Corner kicks are a
fantastic opportunity to do that," Mastroeni said. "It's about being brave and
putting your head in places where it's going to get severed off. That part is
frustrating."

Mastroeni has good reason to be frustrated with his team's attacking prowess
as Colorado ranks last in MLS with 12 goals in 15 games, while the side has
managed to score more than one goal in a game just once this season.